| Constantine | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor of the Romans | |||||
.jpg) | |||||
| Byzantine co-emperor (withLeo V) | |||||
| Reign | 25 December 813 – 25 December 820 | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Leo V the Armenian | ||||
| Mother | Theodosia | ||||
Symbatios (Greek:Συμβάτιος,romanized: Symbátios, from theArmenianՍմբատ), variously alsoSabbatios (Σαββάτιος; Sabbátios) orSambates (Σαμβάτης; Sambatēs) in some sources,[2] was the eldest son of theByzantine emperorLeo V the Armenian (r. 813–820). Soon after the coronation of his father, he was crowned co-emperor and renamedConstantine (Κωνσταντῖνος,Kōnstantînos). He reigned nominally along with his father until the latter's assassination in 820, after which he wasexiled toProte, one of thePrinces' Islands, as amonk.
Symbatios was the eldest son of the emperorLeo V the Armenian (r. 813–820) and his wife,Theodosia.[2] His father was anArmenian commander inByzantine service, possibly descended from theGnuni family. He had risen to high command as a protégé ofBardanes Tourkos, but deserted him when the latter rebelled againstNikephoros I (r. 802–811).[3][4] His mother was also of Armenian origin, the daughter of thepatrikiosArsaber who attempted an unsuccessful usurpation against Nikephoros I in 808.[5] As he was a child at the time of his father's accession to the throne, Symbatios was born sometime between 800 and 810.Michael I Rhangabes (r. 811–813), the son-in-law and successor of Nikephoros I, was likely the boy's godfather.[2][6]
At the head of a military revolt following the disastrousBattle of Versinikia against theBulgars, Leo deposed Michael I on 11 July 813 and was crowned emperor on the next day.[7] Some time after[b] he had Symbatios crowned co-emperor and renamed Constantine. The latter name was not chosen randomly: aside from it being a traditional Byzantine imperial name dating back toConstantine the Great, the assembled troops now publicly acclaimed the emperors "Leo and Constantine", evoking openly theiconoclast emperorLeo III the Isaurian (r. 717–741) and his sonConstantine V (r. 741–775).[2][12]
Although prior to his accession Leo had given written guarantees to theiconophile patriarchNikephoros I that he would not attempt to overthrow iconophile church doctrine,[13] the naming of the new co-emperor was a clear statement of intent to the contrary. Leo's motivations can only be guessed at, but at a time when the environs ofConstantinople itself were being raided by the Bulgar rulerKrum, the military successes achieved by the iconoclast emperors contrasted starkly with the defeats suffered by the recent iconophile regimes. Leo was also a military man, and the memory of the iconoclast emperors was particularly cherished by the army, where many still adhered to iconoclasm.[14][15]
On 14 March 814, Leo forced the resignation of Patriarch Nikephoros I, and appointed the pro-iconoclastTheodotos Melissenos, the son of one of Constantine V's brothers-in-law, in his place.[16] The new patriarch convened aChurch council in Constantinople, which overturned theSecond Council of Nicaea and reinstated the ban on the veneration oficons. The council was presided over by Theodotos, while Constantine attended it as his father's representative.[2][17] In 819/820, he issued, jointly with his father, anovel onmarriage law.[2]
Leo the Armenian was assassinated on 25 December 820 by the supporters ofMichael the Amorian, who had been imprisoned for conspiring against Leo. Michael was released from prison and proclaimed emperor on the same night.[18][19] The new emperor banished Constantine, along with his mother and three brothers, Basil, Gregory, and Theodosios, to the island ofProte, one of thePrinces' Islands in theSea of Marmara. There, the four brothers werecastrated to make them incapable of claiming the throne in the future, andtonsured. They spent the rest of their days there as monks, although Michael the Amorian allowed them to keep part of the proceeds from their confiscated estates for their and their servants' upkeep.[2][20] Basil and Gregory are still mentioned as iconophiles in 847,[21] but nothing further is known of Constantine.[2][11]